A review by holdenwunders_
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Perfect books do exist and Chain Gang All Stars is a prime example of that. For fans of Hunger Games and Mad Max, Chain Gang is full of multitudes when examining the systems we force people under. An intricate look at our criminal justice and prison systems with a fine tooth comb while exploiting our fascination with capitalizing off of other’s pain and suffering. I’m enamored by the use of footnotes in this book, it’s done so well and like I’ve never seen before. The footnotes provide us with more context to characters, insight on the “science fiction” world and then slams us with real life facts about America’s prison system with statistics that will make you sick. As someone who abhors the system in America, this was riddled with facts and poignant insights, while providing us with the slippery slope of our countries obsession with capitalism at any cost.  I knew within a chapter that this book was going to be IT and it did not disappoint. It sure was a wild wide and I’ll be thinking of Thurwar and Staxx for years to come